This may be a third recipe review from the same book, “Cooking for Wizards, Warriors and Dragons” because the first recipe was only partly done so I didn’t review, and the second one was just an Asian dish I could make any day. This one was different and interesting, but sadly I thought I didn’t have the main ingredient so I substituted and it was a bad idea, to be honest. Oh well, I’ll review so you won’t make the same mistake. I liked the idea of this, as it was inspired by a fantasy series with middle eastern elements, so maybe I shall remake someday with the right ingredient.
Ingredients Summary – some ingredients only available at specialty grocery stores
- main stuff: oats, pistachios, almonds, chia seeds, almond butter, honey, almond milk, jarred sour cherries (replaced with dried cherries)
- spices: cinnamon, cardamom, orange zest, vanilla, orange blossom water (replaced with orange flavor)
Steps Summary – very easy
Mix nuts, oats, chia seeds and dry spices. Mix almond butter, honey, vanilla, orange blossom water and milk in another bowl. Layer with oat mixture, then almond milk mixture, then half of sour cherries, then repeat with oat and almond milk mixtures. Refrigerate overnight, then garnish with cherries, oranges and pistachios.
Taste Summary – tastes as expected, but would have been better with sour cherries
- Taste – replacing with dried cherries (past their prime) was my mistake here, because I accidentally refrigerated the open jar of amarena cherries I got from Costco but it turns out I shouldn’t do that, because it developed a white crust (of sugar?). The dried cherries were actually bitter. But everything else tasted fine, I love nuts and didn’t mind the combo of cinnamon and orange.
- Texture – Again, the dried cherries were too chewy and when I let it sit even more to be softer, I didn’t enjoy eating them. The texture of the rest of the oats was nice and mushy with only the slightest crunch from the garnish. Again, as expected.
Convenience Summary
This was a very easy recipe, but because 2 of the ingredients are hard to find usually and really do affect the flavor and texture, I don’t know if it’s that good enough to search for the cherries and orange water. But I’m also lazy. Mushy oats is a hard sell even with easy to find ingredients for many people. Personally, I happen to like oatmeal, hot, cold, in cookies and other baked goods, so I love overnight oats especially mixed with my favorite nuts and fruits and chia seeds for a hearty and heart-healthy breakfast. I think if I can cut the recipe down to one serving instead of four because I definitely did not finish the last portion, I will remake with the jar cherries and hope they’re still okay to eat (but I may have to use them in baking though).